Ghana’s former finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been placed on Interpol’s red notice list, marking a dramatic escalation in corruption investigations surrounding the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) former administration.
The 65-year-old ex-official is facing allegations of using public office for personal gain, including questionable procurement practices in the stalled $58 million National Cathedral project that remains unfinished.
The Interpol red notice, issued Thursday night, requests global law enforcement to detain Ofori-Atta pending extradition to Ghana. His legal team maintains the former minister is abroad receiving medical treatment, with lawyer Frank Davies accusing Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyabeng of ignoring submitted medical documentation.
“The special prosecutor is not being sensitive to the issues at hand,” Davies told AFP, claiming unlawful treatment of his client.
The Cathedral Scandal at Heart of Corruption Charges
Central to the allegations is Ofori-Atta’s alleged mismanagement of funds for Ghana’s controversial National Cathedral project. Despite $58 million in government expenditures, the religious monument site remains an empty plot in central Accra.
Prosecutors allege procurement violations and financial malfeasance during Ofori-Atta’s tenure from 2017-2024 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.
NPP Era Officials Face Political Reckoning
The red notice comes six months after the NPP’s electoral defeat to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and President John Mahama’s inauguration.
Mahama has established “Operation Recover All Loot,” an anti-corruption initiative that has received over 200 complaints totaling $20 billion in allegedly misappropriated funds. The president has directed the attorney general to investigate all claims, vowing Ghana won’t remain “a safe haven for corruption.”
Court documents reveal Ofori-Atta had negotiated a May return date after initially being declared wanted in February. The agreement collapsed when he filed a March lawsuit challenging the investigation’s legality and demanding removal of related social media posts.
His subsequent failure to appear before investigators prompted the special prosecutor to declare him a fugitive and initiate the Interpol request.
Prosecutor’s Maintains “No Special Treatment Stance”
Special Prosecutor Agyabeng remains uncompromising, telling local media: “We want him here physically. A suspect doesn’t pick and choose how investigations are conducted.” The office maintains Ofori-Atta must answer charges personally, rejecting legal representatives’ attempts to respond on his behalf.
Why It Matters
The Interpol alert transforms Ofori-Atta’s case into an international legal matter. Should he be located abroad, Ghana must navigate complex extradition processes that could take months or years. Legal practitioners have said that while red notices don’t guarantee extradition, they significantly restrict a subject’s international mobility.
With $20 billion allegedly misappropriated during the NPP era and growing scrutiny of NDC-linked cases, the Mahama administration faces mounting pressure to demonstrate consistent, apolitical enforcement.
